Rotating sprinkler



NOV. 29, 1938. LANNlNGER 2,138,282

ROTATING SPRINKLER Filed April 3, 1956 Patented NtvQzs, 193s Y fr orme ROTATING SPR Application April 3,

lin Germany April 10, 1935 'I Claims.

This invention relates to rotating or circulating sprinklers, and more particularly to sprinklers of the long-jet type having a rotatable nozzle tube through which a water jet is ejected over a. `wlde arc. The nozzle tube is customarily mounted rotatably upon a sprinkler tube at an nclination thereto; and its rotation is eected, about the longitudinal axis of the sprinkler' tube, by causing the water jet to impinge, directly or indirectly, upon a rotor element, such as a vane wheel or a turbine, that drives a pinion or spur wheel the teeth ci which mesh with a crown of teeth mounted upon a xed hollowor tubular shaft of the sprinkler tube.

In rotating sprinklers of the above-described character, the gearing connections between the rotor and the spur wheel or pinion are quite complex, usually comprising a worm and a worm wheel, with a plurality of longitudinal andltransverse shafts, in different planearequiring the use of a plurality of bearings and a complicated housing or housings.

An object of the invention is to improve and simplify the construction of present-day rotating sprinklers oi the` above-described character, Ato the ends of increasing their efficiency and facilitating their operation, particularly for agricultural uses, and reducing their cost' of manufacture.

With this and other objects in view, the nature of which will appear from' the following description, teken in connection with the accompanying drawing, and as will appear from the claims hereunto annexed, a feature oi the invention resides in a circulating differential'or epicyclic gear train between the rot-or .element and the pinion or spur wheel. l

Several embodiments of the invention are illustrated by way of example in the acconipanying drawing in which:-

Fig. l shows the upper part of a circulating sprinkler inside elevation, the circulating gear being shown in section. A Y

Fig. 2 is a top plan View along a section lline Il-II of Fig.. l.

Fig. 3 shows a second form of construction of the upper part of the sprinkler, in side elevation, in which, asin the first form of construction, a water jet ejected through an auxiliary nozzle of thenozzle tube impinges upon the rotor element; and

Figs. 4, 5 and 6 show in side elevation forms of construction in which the rotor element is actuted by a jet from the nozzle of the sprinkler The vertical arm 2u of the nozzle tube 2,', gh

Lannlnger, Frankfort-on-the-ltain- Rodclhelm, Germany 1936', Serial No. '32,55

(ci. 299-63) I the nozzle 3 of which the water jet is ejected, is telescoped in the tube l into which the water for sprinkling is forced upward by a pump. A crown of teeth ll is rigidly xed on the top end of tube i. A bearing 5 is cast on the bend of no zzle'tube 2 and carries a hub 5a in which a sleeve Sis fixed against rotation by a headless screw l. The sleeve t carries at its top end a toothed crown lil. A casing G composed of two parts rests on the hub to of the bearing 5. IThe bottom plate 8 of the casing has a hub lia bearingl on the end face .of hub lia. The top plate il and the wall 9a of the casing are detachably connected with the bottom plate il by means of screws screwed into the flange db. A vertical bolt il is anchored in the top and bottom plates oi casing G and serves as pivot pin for a set of spur wheels ii, l2. These spur wheels, rigidly coupled by pins iti, are of dierent diameters. The spur wheel i2 meshes vwith the toothed crown l@ of sleeve ii. In the sleeve @i a vertical shaft ibis mounted which carries at its upper end a spur/wheel i6 and at its lower end a spur wheel iii, the latter meshing with the stationary crown oi teeth It. The end face of casing Gr has radial ribs i9 which -form a crown of vanes E. xThe wail of the nozzle tube 2, 2a has near the casing G a projection 2l) which is bored and carries an auxiliary nozzle 2l, the mouth of which faces thegcrown of vanes S.

'During the operation of the sprinkler water under pressure Hows through the tubular shaft l and the nozzle tube t, 2a rotatably mounted .in said shaft, the water being ejected in the form oi a long jet M from the nozzle of the sprinkler tube. A branch jet M1 impinges on the crown of varies S, whereby the casing is rotated together with the hub to which turns around sleeve Ci so' that the spur wheels ii and it are rotated also. The lower spur wheel il. rolls on the crown of teeth i@ ci the stationary sleeve t. The upper spur wheel ii rotates spur wheel it and, there@ fore, the shaft it guided in sleeve (i. The spur wheel it on the lower end of shaft i5 rolls on-the stationary crown Voi teeth l, whereby the nozzle tube E, da is rotated in the tubular shaft i and the water jet moved along a circle.

By suitable selection of the gears ii, i2,

and it), it is possible to 'vary the speed of rotation of the casing and of the4 rolling wheel i8. in the form or construction shown in Figs. l and 2 spur wheel it is smaller than spur wheel it and spur wheel i2 larger than spur wheel il. The speed of the rolling wheel l t is therefore reduced relative to that of casing G. ln the form of con- .itrlltion shown in the casing G is mounted upon a square shaft 22 carrying the crown of ing with a bevelled crown of teeth 4a fixed on thev A shaft 24 is mounted on the tubular shaft I. end face of the casing G and is rotatably guided in a bearing 26 suspended by means of a sleeve 25 from the sprinkler tube 2. shaft 24 a turbine S2 is mounted Within the range of the mouth of the sprinkler nozzle 3, the hub of this turbine being xed on the shaft 24 by a screw 21.

The water jet M ejected from the nozzle 3 impinges on the turbine S2 to rotate it. The rotation of the turbine is transmitted to the casing'G and the shaft I5 s o that the bevel wheel I8a rolls on the crown of'bevelled teeth 4u. to effect rotation,

of the sprinkler tube.

The form of construction shown in Fig. 5 is quite similar to that shown in Fig. 4, the gear being suspended on the sprinkler tube.

In this instance the turbine S3 is directly mounted on the end face of the casing G in such manner that the turbine is located Within the range of ,the Water jet M ejected from the nozzle 3 of the sprinkler tube 2. 'Ihe shaft I 5a, carrying a hyperbolically shaped wheel I8b rolling on the crown of teeth 4b, is rotatably mounted in two bushes 28 and 29. The bush 28 is oscillatablymounted by means of studs 30 in lugs 45 of a sleeve 23a. The bush 29 has pins 3I engaging inarcuate slots 32 of aps 33 of a sleeve 25a mounted on the upper portion of the-sprinkler tube. The shaft I5a is thus rendered adjustable relative l to the sprinkler tube: by unscrewing the wing nut 34 on the stud 3|, and sliding the studs 3i in the arcuate slots 32, the shaft I5a and the casing G and the turbine S3 carried thereby may be adjusted to a position inclined relative to the longitudinal axis of the sprinkler tube 2. The distance of the turbine from the water jet Mmay thus be increased so as to decrease the action of the jet M on the turbine.

The form of construction shown in Fig. 6 differs from that shown in Fig. 4 in that'the shaft which transmits the rotative movement of the turbine and the casing to the rolling wheel is journaled at the upper side of the sprinkler tube.

The squarey shaft 22a mounted onthe top of casing Goarries a bevel wheel 36 fixed by means of a screw 35. A shaft -4I is guided in journals 31; 38 which are held by bands 39, 40 at the4 upper side of the sprinkler tube 2. The upper end of the shaft 4I is clamped by means of a clamping screw 21a to the lower side of the turbine S4, and the lower end of the shaft 4I is provided with a bevel wheel 42 meshing with the v bevel wheel 36.

The water jet M ejected from. the nozzle 3 of the sprinkler tube impinges on the turbine S4 'which rotates shaft 4I and through the inter- The consequent rolling of this spur wheel on the l crown of teeth 4 results in imparting a circulating movement to the sprinkler tube2.

On the outer end of The driving gear of the sprinkler is further simplifled and rendered adaptable for numerous purposes by the arrangements shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 6, it is, furthermore, possible to exchange the crown of vanes and the turbine. As the turbine is at a great distance from the casing, especially in the form of construction shown .in Fig. 6, dirty water may be used for the admission Vof the turbine, without the water ascending to the casing.

I claim:-

1. In a long-jet sprinklerhaving a fixed tubular shaft provided at its upper end with a crown of teeth, a spur wheel having teeth meshing with the teeth of the crown of teeth and adapted to roll on the crown of teeth, a sprinkler tube mounted to rotate about the axis of the shaft, a casing, a rotor element comprising vanes on the top of the casing, the rotor element being mounted to be rotated by a water jet' ejected against the vanes through 'a nozzle on the sprinkler tube vfacing the vanes, power-transmission means coacting between the rotor element and the spur wheel for effecting rotation of the sprinkler tube comprising an epicyclic-gear train mounted in the casing on the sprinkler tube and driven vfrom the rotor element; means connecting the epicyclic-gear train to the spur wheel to drive the spur wheel, and a shaft 'extending from said.

casing and rotated bysaid gear train, the spur wheel being mounted on the free end of said shaft.

2. In a long-jet sprinkler having a fixed tubular shaft provided at its upper end with a crown of teeth, a spur wheel having teeth meshing with the teeth of the crown of teeth and adapted to roll r35 effecting rotation of the sprinkler tube comprisbush enclosing said shaft and loosely carrying said casing.

3. In a long-jet sprinkler having a fixed tubular shaft provided at its upper end with a crown 'of teeth, a spur wheel having teeth meshing with Athe teeth of the crown of teeth and adapted to roll on the crown of teeth, a sprinkler tube mounted to rotate about the axis of the shaft, a casing, a rotor element comprising vanes on the top of the casing, the rotor element being mounted to be rotated by a water jet ejected against the vanes through anozzle on the sprinkler tube facing the vanes, power-transmission means coacting betweenthe rotorelement and the spur wheel for effecting rotation of the sprinkler tube comprising an epicyclic-gear train mounted inv the casing on the sprinkler tube and driven from the rotor element, means connecting the epicyclic-gear train to the spur wheel to drive the spur wheel, a shaft extending from said casing androtated by said gear train, the spur wheel being mounted on the free end of said shaft, a stationary buslrenclosing said shaft and loosely carrying said casing, and a crown of teeth on the end of said shaft located in said casing meshing with one of the wheels of the epicyclic-gear train.

-4. In a long-jet sprinkler having a fixed tubular shaft provided at its upper end with a crown of teeth, a spur wheel having teeth meshing with the teeth of the crown of teeth and adapted to roll on the crown of teeth, a sprinkler tube mounted to rotate about the axis of the shaft, a casing, a rotor element comprising vanes on the top of the casing, the rotor element being mounted to be rotated by a water jet ejected against the vanes through a nozzle on the sprinkler tube facing the vanes, power-transmission'means ooacting betweex1.the rotor element and the spur wheel for effecting rotation of the sprinkler tube y comprising an epicyclic-gear train mounted in the casing on the sprinkler tube and driven from the rotor element, means connecting the epicyclic-gear train to the spur wheel to drive' the spur wheel, a stationary bush carrying said rotatable casing, a shaft downwardly extending from said casing driven by a wheel of said picyclic-gear train and extending through said bush, va crown of teeth on the top end of said stationary bush meshing with one of the wheels of said epicyclic-gear train, and a spur wheel on the top end of said shaft meshing with another wheel of said epicyclic-gear train.

5. Ina long-jet sprinkler having a fixed tubular shaft provided at its upper end with a crown of teeth, a spur wheel having teeth meshing with the teeth of the crown of teeth and adapted to roll on the crown of teeth, a. sprinkler tube mounted to rotate about the axis of the shaft, a casing, a rotor element comprising vanes on the top of the casing, the rotor element being mounted to be rotated by a water jet ejected against the vanes through a nozzle on the sprinkler tube' facing the vanes. power-transmission means coaeting between the rotor element and the spur wheel for effecting rotation of the sprinkler tube comprising an epicyclie-gear train mounted in the casing on the sprinkler tube and driven from the rotor element, means connecting the epicyclic-gear train to the spur wheel to drive the spur wheel, a stationary bush carrying said rotatable casing, a shaft downwardly extendingfrom said casing driven by a wheel of said epicyelic-gear train and extending through said bush, a crown of teeth on the top end of said stationary bush meshing with one of the wheels of said epicyclic-gear train, a spur wheel on the top end of said shaft meshing with another wheel of said epicyclicgear train, and a vertical bolt xed in said casing and guiding the rotatable wheels of said epicyclic-gear train.

6. In a long-jet sprinkler having a fixed tubular shaft provided at its upper end with a crown of teeth, a spur wheel having teeth meshing with' the teeth of the crown of teeth and adapted to roll on the crown of teeth, a sprinkler tube mounted to rotate about the axis of the shaft, a casing, a rotor element comprising vanes on the top of the casing, the rotor element being mounted to be rotated by a water jet ejected againstthe vanes through a nozzle on the sprinkler tube facing the vanes, power-transmission means coactingl between the rotor element and the spur wheel for effecting rotation of the sprinkler tube comprising an epicyclic-gear train mounted in the `casing on the sprinkler tube and driven from the rotor element, and means connecting the epicyclic-gear train to the spur wheel to drive the spur wheel. v

7. In a long-jet .sprinkler having a fixed tubular shaft provided at its upper end with a crown of teeth, a spur wheel having teeth meshing with the teeth of the crown of teeth and adapted to roll on the crown of teeth, a sprinkler tube mounted to rotate about the axis of the shaft, a A

casing, a rotor element comprising vanes on the top of the casing, the rotor element being mounted to be rotated by a water jet ejected against the vanes through a nozzle on the sprinkler tube facing the vanes, power-transmission means coacting between the rotor element and the spur wheel for effecting rotation of the sprinkler tube comprising an epicyclic-gear train mounted in the casing on the sprinkler tube and driven from the rotor element, means connecting the epicyclic-gear train to thespur wheel to drive the spur. wheel, a bearing extending from said sprinkler tube to'the lower side of the same, the spur wheel having a shaft journaled in said bearing,

and a stationary sleeve enclosing said shaft adapted-to carry the hub of said rotatable casing. KARL LUDWIG LANNINGER; 

